New Delhi. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Delhi Police has termed the Parliament march held on July 20 as illegal. According to the police, permission was not taken for the march and among the protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar were many people who had criminal records. Police say that during the demonstration, barricades were broken and policemen were beaten. In such circumstances, it became necessary to use force to control the crowd. The police also claimed that they did not use excessive force.
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This affidavit filed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma has been given in response to the petitions in which a court-monitored investigation has been demanded into the police action. The same reply will also be used in four related petitions.
More than 30 thousand people, 5 thousand policemen deployed
According to the police, on July 20, more than 30 thousand protesters were present in and around Jantar Mantar within a radius of about 3 kilometers. About 5 thousand policemen were deployed to handle the crowd. Police said that more than 240 policemen and about 200 protesters were injured during the clashes.
The police also responded to the allegations of sticks with nails made in the petitions. He says that the petitions have been based on some selected photographs, incomplete videos and unconfirmed media reports. According to the police, the full context of the action is not revealed in these. Such a stick is seen in a video but the police claim that the stick was in the hands of a protestor.
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Force used after attack on police
The affidavit said the protesters removed barricades, scuffled with policemen and even pulled on their protective equipment. According to the police, as the situation deteriorated, measures available under law were used to control the crowd.
Police said that batons are among the accepted tools for crowd control and the use of force was necessary considering the circumstances that day.
Serious criminal cases against 2,873 people
Regarding the presence of people with criminal records at Jantar Mantar, the police said that cases have been registered against about 2,873 people involved in the protest in cases like murder, attempt to murder, robbery, rape and POCSO. According to the police, SIT will investigate these cases.
Regarding facial recognition, the police said that it is not used to prepare a profile of every protestor or to keep an eye on peaceful protesters. According to the police, this technology is used to identify people with serious criminal records and no action is taken against anyone on the basis of facial recognition alone. After identification, field verification is also done.
Police also said that people with minor cases or only traffic challans are not identified under this process.
If the Supreme Court forms a committee regarding the use of force, Delhi Police has said that it will cooperate with it. The proposed committee of the court can investigate the police action.